


Through Fire

by hazelNuts



Series: Prompt Fics [55]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Derek's entire pack are firefighters, Firefighter Derek, M/M, Mild Language, Pet Owner Stiles, Stiles Wears Glasses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 09:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4258218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>xtremefangirling asked,"‘you’ve just been saved from a burning building and you’re begging to go back in to save your pet cat’ au - sterek - that cat has been by stiles' side since forever and his mom give it to him and even tho he's old and almost blind please save him"</p><p>Derek watches as Boyd tries to stop a man from running back into the burning apartment building. Boyd towers over him, but the guy is a fighter and his colleague is having some real trouble holding him back. The guy is aiming for the places he knows he will hurt the firefighter the most, his crotch, his solar plexus. He even tries to kick him in the knees. <br/>This isn’t going to end well for either man if someone doesn’t stop that guy soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

Most of the time, Derek loves being a fireman. He saves people, almost every day. The look on the faces of parents when he walks out of a burning house with their child safely in his arms, and the cheers of children when he manages to pry their dog out of a car wreckage, help him get through the days where he can’t save someone.

And the job has taught him a lot of things, compassion, bravery, appreciation for the small things. What it hasn’t taught him is tolerance. Especially not for the idiots who try to run back into a burning building to save their laptop, or their pink sweater. That incident had nearly made him renounce going to any sorority house fires in the future.

He watches as Boyd tries to stop a man from running back into the burning apartment building. Boyd towers over him, but the guy is a fighter and his colleague is having some real trouble holding him back. The guy is aiming for the places he knows he will hurt the firefighter the most, his crotch, his solar plexus. He even tries to kick him in the knees.

This isn’t going to end well for either man if someone doesn’t stop that guy soon.

‘- have to get back inside!’

‘Sir, it’s too dangerous,’ Boyd tries to reason with the man.

‘I have to get Wolverine! I’ve had him forever! My mom gave him to me!’ The guy manages to break free from Boyd’s grip when the firefighter has to duck an elbow aimed at his nose. But before the guy can slip between the fire trucks, back towards the building, Boyd grabs him around the waist and hauls him back.

‘Let me go, you giant-‘

Derek interrupts him before he can utter what promises to be a very colourful insult. ‘What’s going on here?’

‘He won’t let me go,’ the guy says, still struggling in Boyd’s grip.

Now that he’s closer, Derek recognizes him. The last time he’d seen Stiles, he’d been at the comic book store, buying Cora’s birthday present. Stiles had lectured him on all the differences between the Arrow and Hawkeye after Derek had mixed them up. And Derek had let him, captivated by his enthusiasm. The way he’d waved his arms around and started pacing, making his plaid shirt billow like a cape. Now, Stiles looks dishevelled, wearing only Batman boxers and a t-shirt, his cheeks and arms smudged with soot. But those glasses, wide eyes and button nose had been a constant in Derek’s mind the past few days, and he’d recognize them anywhere.

‘That’s because you’re trying to get back inside,’ Boyd grumbles, holding Stiles’ arms so he can’t elbow him in the face again.

‘Because someone has to save Wolverine! You guys obviously aren’t doing it.’

Great, Derek thinks, the comic book fanatic wants to risk his life for a figurine. He can’t believe he’d been thinking about asking this idiot out.

‘Why don’t you just buy a new one?’ Derek tries. It’s the wrong thing to say, because Stiles’ eyes blaze with anger.

‘What the fuck kind of heartless dick are you? I’ve had that cat since I was a kid! Yes, he’s old and almost completely blind, and is missing bits of his fur, but he’s mine! My- My mom gave him to me before she died. He’s not some replaceable toy.’ Stiles trails off in a whisper at the end of his tirade. He’s stopped struggling, his shoulders slump, and instead of holding him back, Boyd is now holding him up.

‘Wolverine is your cat?’ Derek asks incredulously. ‘Why didn’t you say so immediately?’

‘I-‘

‘What’s your apartment number?’

‘Wh-‘

‘Stiles!’ Derek urges him, while putting his helmet back on.

‘3B.’

‘Derek, you d-’ Boyd calls after him, but his shouts are lost in the roar of the fire.

He runs up to the third floor. When he passes Erica and Isaac, the woman grabs his arm.

‘Where the hell are you going?’ she yells.

‘Cat. 3B.’

The two others exchange a quick look and then nod. They know that as long as there’s a living being in the building, Derek isn’t leaving. So when Derek starts running again, Erica and Isaac are right behind him.

The door to the apartment is open when they reach it and Derek hopes the cat is still inside. He takes the bedroom, while Erica searches the living room and Isaac goes for the bathroom.

Derek finds the cat under the bed, curled up against the far wall. He drags the bed away from the wall and scoops the animal up, before it can sprint away. As he walks back out, he signals to his colleagues to follow him.

When he walks out of the building he sees an agitated Stiles and a watchful Boy waiting for him in the distance. Stiles’ worried expression transforms into one of relief and pure joy when he spots Derek holding his cat.

‘I’d go back for that guy’s unfinished beer,’ Erica mutters, checking Stiles up and down with an appreciative smirk.

Derek feels himself flush. ‘That’s not-,’ he starts, but Erica and Isaac are already walking away, ignoring his denial.

Now that Stiles is no longer trying to kick the shit out of Boyd, Derek notices a couple things that had escaped him earlier. Like the slim, but muscled thighs under those boxers, and the way the t-shirt stretches tight over broad shoulders. And when Stiles reaches out to take his pet from him, Derek swallows when he sees those long fingers gently gripping the cat.

‘Hey, buddy,’ the man coos at his pet. ‘You can’t hide from me during a crisis just so you can get rescued and carried around by hot firemen. We need to discuss this sort of thing. But next time, it’s my turn.’

Derek flushes at the comment. He’s pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to hear that. He clears his throat. ‘Uhm, you should probably get yourself checked out by a paramedic.’

‘We both know that I’m fine,’ Stiles snorts. ‘I was already fighting your colleague for several minutes before you came along. Do you think I should have Wolverine checked by my vet? I should probably do that. He was in there for quite some time.’ He hands the cat back to Derek and pats his hip. ‘Fuck I don’t have my phone. Can I borrow yours? Do you even have a phone with you?’

‘I do,’ Derek reassures him. ‘It’s in my inside pocket.’

Stiles takes his cat back, so Derek can take of his gloves and dig out his phone. When he hands the device over, Stiles dumps his cat back into his arms. He types in a number and then starts talking too fast for Derek to follow. He only catches the words “Wolverine”, “smoke”, and “dying”.

It makes him worry a little, but the cat himself seems unconcerned. He starts purring and rubbing his head against Derek’s chest while they wait for his owner to finish his call.

When Stiles hangs up and takes back his purring cat, Wolverine meows mournfully.

‘He likes you,’ the man chuckles. He looks at Derek thoughtfully for a moment and then his face clears. ‘Oh my god, you’re the guy who mixed up Arrow and Hawkeye. I knew I recognized you. How’d your sister like the comics?’

‘Great, since they were exactly the ones she asked for.’

‘I’m Stiles, but you knew that,’ Stiles smiles, he tries to hold out his hand for Derek to shake while also trying to not drop his cat.

Derek smiles at the ridiculous sight and grips Stiles’ hand tightly. ‘Derek,’ he introduces himself.

‘Well, Derek, it was great seeing you again. And thank you for saving my cat.’

‘It’s no problem.’

‘Stiles!’ someone shouts from a distance.

‘That’s my buddy Scott. I’m gonna be staying with him until that mess is cleaned up,’ Stiles says, indicating the still smouldering building.

‘I thought you called your vet?’

‘He is my vet,’ Stiles says. ‘But, listen, since Wolverine likes you and you seem to like him, I thought maybe you wanted to check up on him so I programmed Scott’s number and address in your phone if you wanted to or not if you don’t ‘s all cool I justthoughtmaybeyouwouldliketomakesu-‘

‘Stiles,’ Derek interrupts the slowly accelerating ramble. ‘I’m free tomorrow.’

‘Great,’ Stiles grins. ‘Uhm, we could get lunch?’

‘I’ll pick you up at noon?’

Another shout of Stiles’ name, makes both of them look up. Derek can see a dark haired man waving at them.

‘We gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Stiles takes hold of Wolverine’s paw to wave at him. ‘Say goodbye to the nice fireman, buddy.’

Derek grins and waves them goodbye.

‘ _Those shoulders are not why I did it_ , my ass,’ Erica says from somewhere behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


End file.
